Photo Credit: Associated Press/HBO
HBO Finally Responds To Jerry West: “We Stand Resolutely Behind Our Talented Creators”
HBO’s Showtime Lakers series, ‘Winning Time: The Rise Of The Lakers Dynasty’, is absolutely phenomenal and has certainly become a must watch for basketball fans.
Based on Jeff Pearlman’s book ‘Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s’, it features stars like John C. Reilly (as Jerry Buss), Jason Segal (as Paul Westphal) and Adrien Brody (as Pat Riley).
The show is produced by Academy Award-winner Adam McKay, who has directed hit films and series like Anchorman, The Big Short, Succession and Eastbound & Down.
But some of the Lakers legends that are portrayed in the show, aren’t happy with it. Jerry West, for example, has demanded a retraction and an apology for ‘a baseless and malicious assault’ on his character:
“The portrayal of NBA icon and LA Lakers legend Jerry West in ‘Winning Time’ is fiction pretending to be fact — a deliberately false characterization that has caused great distress to Jerry and his family,” said Skip Miller, a partner at the Miller Barondess, LLP law firm in Los Angeles and attorney for West. “Contrary to the baseless portrayal in the HBO series, Jerry had nothing but love for and harmony with the Lakers organization, and in particular owner Dr. Jerry Buss, during an era in which he assembled one of the greatest teams in NBA history.
Jerry West was an integral part of the Lakers and NBA’s success. It is a travesty that HBO has knowingly demeaned him for shock value and the pursuit of ratings. As an act of common decency, HBO and the producers owe Jerry a public apology and at the very least should retract their baseless and defamatory portrayal of him.”
West now even took it a step further and told Los Angeles Times editor Bill Dwyre, that he’s willing to take this all the way to the Supreme Court if he has to.
“The series made us all [the Lakers] look like cartoon characters. They belittled something good. If I have to, I will take this all the way to the Supreme Court.”
After going silent on the topic for over two weeks, since West first voiced his criticism, HBO finally released a statement. In this statement however, HBO explained their full support of the show and its creators.
“HBO has a long history of producing compelling content drawn from actual facts and events that are fictionalized in part for dramatic purposes. ‘Winning Time’ is not a documentary and has not been presented as such. However, the series and its depictions are based on extensive factual research and reliable sourcing, and HBO stands resolutely behind our talented creators and cast who have brought a dramatization of this epic chapter in basketball history to the screen.”
HBO has issued a statement in response to Jerry West’s complaints about his portrayal in “Winning Time.” pic.twitter.com/eKvJDLSRpK
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) April 26, 2022
